Pancakes
by Melodix
Summary: Discoveries over a batch of pancakes. SpeedyxAqualad fluff. Oneshot. Rating for mild language.


Yes, I know I should be updating Flight of the Eagle -hides from rotten vegetables- However, when inspiration strikes you in the middle of the night...well, put it this way. You don't ignore it. xD

So, since inspiration hit me randomly with the idea for a Speedy/Aqualad fic, I've written this up. Admittedly, I'm rather proud of it; however, if there's anything you want to correct me on - grammar, character style, whatever - that you could give me actual helpful hints for, I'd really appreciate it. I'll only get better if I know how to

That being said, I love to get reviews, and promise I'll start replying to them now xD

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except a nice batch of pancakes.

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"Hey, Aqualad. Wake up."

The Atlantean groaned and cracked open his eyes. "What do you want? I was _sleeping_."

"I noticed that."

"Then why did you wake me up?" Aqualad complained, and opened his eyes the rest of the way to see the familiar form of Speedy standing above him. The archer was grinning widely, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Because you told me to wake you up if you weren't awake by ten, and it's ten," he replied, smirking.

"Oh. Right." With a sigh, Aqualad pulled himself upright. It didn't escape his notice that he was lying on the couch in the main room, though it took him a moment to remember why.

Oh, yeah. They'd just gotten back from catching two villains – when had Cinderblock decided to set up residence in Steel City, anyway? – when the call had come in from Titans Central that they needed some help. So they'd made a road trip into Jump City, and didn't finish there until nearly 11PM. Bee had opted to stay at the Titans Central Tower, along with Mas y Menos. However, the two boys didn't fancy sharing a room with Robin – there weren't enough guest rooms in the Tower for all of them – so they'd decided to come back home, despite the fact that they wouldn't be back until after midnight.

When they'd returned home, Aqualad had simply collapsed on the couch, told Speedy to wake him up at ten – the archer seemed perky enough, giving Aqualad cause to wonder if he even _needed _sleep – and went straight to sleep.

So, if he'd slept for nine hours straight, why did he feel tired still? With a yawn, he looked to see where Speedy had disappeared to. "What're you doing in the kitchen?" he asked, sleep still clouding his mind.

"Making food. What else? Want pancakes?"

The sentence fragments told Aqualad that, despite his energy, Speedy was just as tired as he himself was. The Atlantean stood and went into the kitchen, and, turning on the sink, splashed water on his face to wake himself up. He shook his hair out of his face, wiped water from his eyes, and turned to the redhead. "Hm?" he asked, having not really heard the other boy's question.

"I asked, want pancakes?" Speedy was already mixing up batter, not bothering to look up at Aqualad.

"Oh. Sure...wait." He shook his head slightly, now wide awake, and glanced at Speedy sharply. "Since when can you cook? I thought Bee was the only one on the team who could."

Speedy grinned, putting a pan on the stove. "I only do it when I have to, but I had to live by myself for quite a while. You wouldn't believe the tricks you pick up when you have to do everything yourself. I promise that they'll be edible." Apparently he was waking up as well; it was probably the thought of food that was doing it.

"Handy," Aqualad commented, glancing away as he felt a sharp twinge in his gut. Why couldn't he look at this boy without feeling nervous? They had used to be just friends. In Speedy's eyes, Aqualad was sure they still were. But, for some reason, the Atlantean always felt a slight longing around him. He wanted to be closer…but he knew Speedy would never want to be like that. Heck, look at his flock of fan girls! What boy in his right mind would rather be close to another boy on his team than a fan girl?

So he always tried, quite valiantly, to suppress his emotions around the archer, but it was becoming more and more difficult with each passing day. He couldn't tell Speedy – the resulting repercussions would more than likely cause the team to fall apart. But his discomfort around the redhead was getting harder to hide every day. Frankly, Aqualad didn't know what to do, except maybe quit the team.

He jumped as Speedy placed a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, fish boy. What's with you? You've been jumpy all week."

What was he supposed to say? 'Sorry, Speedy, I've been jumpy because I'm secretly in love with you and I know you'll never love me back?' Hell no. "Nothing," he replied, attempting to loosen his tensed muscles. He was acutely aware of the touch of the archer's skin on his suit, of his nearness...No! Stop thinking like that. Speedy is a teammate, not a lover. Get that down!

"Aqualad? What's got you so tense?"

The Atlantean was desperately forcing himself to look away, to ignore the other's touch. "Nothing. I think I'll go see what's on TV." His hasty excuse was enough to get him to the couch, safe from his own instincts...at least, for the moment. Speedy didn't make an attempt to stop him, but shrugged and turned back to his pancakes, his brow creased in thought.

Aqualad seated himself on the couch, changing the channel on the TV but not really paying attention to it. Instead he blankly watched a documentary about grizzly bears in the Rockies for a long while. The only sound in the room was the sizzling of the pancakes on the griddle and the TV.

After maybe fifteen minutes, Speedy flipped the last pancake onto a plate, and brought both of them over, grabbing the syrup with his elbow on the way over. He'd made just enough pancakes for the two of them, so there wouldn't be any extra to attest to the fact that he actually could cook.

Aqualad came out of his trance when Speedy put a plate of pancakes into his hands. "Oh, thanks," he said, settling the plate on his knees and accepting the syrup the archer offered him. He tensed up again, however, when Speedy sat down barely a foot away. Knowing he couldn't let the other notice – though he probably would, anyway; Speedy was very observant – Aqualad forced his muscles to relax, and kept his eyes on his plate.

"These are really good," he told Speedy when he'd swallowed his bite, then kept eating, as though if he ate them quickly, he'd be able to escape this situation all the sooner, and try to get his instincts under control in the privacy of his own room.

"Thanks," Speedy said, smirking. "Told you I could cook." The two of them fell silent, Speedy watching the Atlantean as he ate, and Aqualad desperately keeping his eyes from roving to Speedy.

After what seemed like an interminable stillness, Aqualad finished his pancakes and set the plate on the floor. He was about to make an excuse and go isolate himself in his room, when a hand on his shoulder forestalled him.

"Hey, man. Something's bothering you, I can tell. Spill." Speedy had also set his plate on the ground, though his wasn't empty, and had turned to entirely face his friend.

Aqualad looked down, his mind searching for words he could use, after shrugging off the archer's hand. He knew Speedy well enough to know that he wouldn't let him go with a 'nothing's bothering me' statement. Unfortunately, his mind couldn't come up with anything, so he remained silent, steadfastedly looking away from the one who sent such shivers down his spine with only a simple touch.

"Hey, it can't possibly be so bad that my head will crack in half if I hear it," the archer said lightly. "Out with it. You know it'll feel better to have it off your chest."

Aqualad shook his head mutely, and kept his eyes boring a hole in the ground, truly wishing he could escape to his room.

"C'mon, Aqualad, look at me. Did I do something?" The redhead sounded oddly worried to Aqualad, and, although it went against his good sense, he slowly turned to face the other.

Speedy watched as Aqualad's eyes wandered down his body, then snapped back up to his face, as barely restrained a smirk in favor of an actual smile. He'd been right. What a relief that was. "Hey, man, you can trust me," he continued, placing both his hands on the Atlantean's shoulders. He felt the tensing of muscles beneath his hands, but ignored it for the moment.

Aqualad felt a shiver run down his back at Speedy's touch. Why did he have to suffer through this? Why couldn't these feelings just leave him alone? The Atlantean was startled when the other brought his head close enough for him to feel hot breath on his cheeks. _I will not, I will not, I will not, I will not,_ he chanted to himself, struggling to pull his eyes away from the opaque lenses of Speedy's mask. _I will not, I will-_

His mantra was quite suddenly cut off as he felt a warm sensation on his lips. It took him a moment to process fact – he'd been so absorbed in trying to not do the very thing that...Speedy...was now...doing to...him?

After a moment, Speedy drew back, a little nervous. If he'd been wrong in his guess...the look on Aqualad's face didn't help his anxiety. The Atlantean was wide eyed, holding one hand to his lips in surprise. Then he let it fall, still staring at Speedy.

"I...but...you..." he stammered, trembling a little. He seemed to catch himself, though. "What about those fan girls you always have following you around?"

Speedy grinned in relief. He'd been right. He'd really been right. "I'm not the only one with a pack of fan girls," he mentioned, and had the satisfaction of seeing Aqualad's cheeks turn red. "But hey, man. No fan girl holds a candle to _you_."

Aqualad smiled back, and Speedy could see the tension draining away from him. "It's good to know that it's both of us that are crazy, now," he said, laughing slightly. "I'd thought it was just me, and that I'd have to hide from you forever."

"So _that's_ why you were nervous. You're not very good about hiding emotions, you know that?"

Aqualad nodded. "I know," he admitted ruefully. "But, I thought you'd think I was crazy if I actually told you, so I didn't have much of an option there."

The archer couldn't resist a jibe. "You are crazy. But then, I am too. Perfect match, huh?" he said, draping an arm around Aqualad's shoulders. "C'mon, fish boy. You're a mess, I'm a mess, and Bee will be home soon."

Aqualad stood, taking his plate with him. "But how are we going to break this to the fan girls? They'll have fits."

"Frankly, it's not the fan girls I'm worried about," Speedy drawled, copying the Atlantean. "But how the hell are we going to tell _Bee_?"

As they both set their plates down on the counter, Aqualad turned to face the archer, a grin on his face. "Like this," he said, and drew Speedy into a long kiss.

A moment later, footsteps echoed in the hall outside. "Aqualad? Speedy? We're...oh, my god. Um, Mas, Menos, why don't you go up to the roof for a bit?"

If the two of them hadn't been involved in a more important activity, they would have been rolling on the floor laughing at Bee's panic-stricken voice. Well, it was one hell of a way to find out, but, hey, whatever works.

When they finally broke apart, Speedy gripped Aqualad by the shoulders, staring into his eyes. "You're _mine_," he said possessively.

Aqualad laughed, and slid his hands under the archer's, intertwining his fingers with his. "As long as you understand you're mine, too," he said with a grin, and pulled the other closer. "Let's go do some catching up, shall we?"


End file.
